entrepreneur

[ ahn-truh-pruh-nur, -noor; French ahn-truh-pruh-nœr ]

noun,plural en·tre·pre·neurs [ahn-truh-pruh-nurz, -noorz; French ahn-truh-pruh-nœr]. /ˌɑn trə prəˈnɜrz, -ˈnʊərz; French ɑ̃ trə prəˈnœr/.
  1. a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

  2. an employer of productive labor; contractor.

verb (used with object)
  1. to deal with or initiate as an entrepreneur.

verb (used without object)
  1. to act as an entrepreneur.

Origin of entrepreneur

1
First recorded in 1875–80; from French: literally, “one who undertakes (some task),” equivalent to entrepren(dre) “to undertake” (from Latin inter- inter- + prendere “to take,” variant of prehendere ) + -eur -eur; see enterprise

Other words from entrepreneur

  • en·tre·pre·neur·i·al, adjective
  • en·tre·pre·neur·ship, noun

Words that may be confused with entrepreneur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use entrepreneur in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for entrepreneur

entrepreneur

/ (ˌɒntrəprəˈnɜː, French ɑ̃trəprənœr) /


noun
  1. the owner or manager of a business enterprise who, by risk and initiative, attempts to make profits

  2. a middleman or commercial intermediary

Origin of entrepreneur

1
C19: from French, from entreprendre to undertake; see enterprise

Derived forms of entrepreneur

  • entrepreneurial, adjective
  • entrepreneurship, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for entrepreneur

entrepreneur

[ (ahn-truh-pruh-nur, ahn-truh-pruh-noor) ]


One who starts a business or other venture that promises economic gain but that also entails risks.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.